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No. 607,250. Pat'ented July l2, I898. H. A. LEWIS.

ELECTRIC CUT-OUT.

(Application filed July 14, 1897.)

(No Model.)

"VI/2W h I ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. LEWIS, OF NORRISTOIVN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF lIIREE-FIF'IIIS TO JOHN T. DYER, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC CUT-OUT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. e07, 25o, dated July 12, 1898.

Application filed July 14,1897; Serial No. 644,531. (No model.)

Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and.

State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Electric Out-O ut, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. r

The invention relates tojfuse-holders and electric cut-outs such as shown and described in the application filed by me January 11, 1897, Serial No. 618,759.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved electric cut-out designed for use in a line-wire to relieve a building into which leads the wire from danger of a strong or excessively-charged current produced by lightning or other causes, the apparatus breaking such current automatically and diverting the electric fluid from the building.

My invention consists of acircuit-breaker combined with a thermostat of a particular type, one example of which is described hereinafter and whose novel features are defined in the appended claims."

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a rear side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the thermostat and adjacent parts, and Fig. at is an enlarged perspective view of part of the circuit-breaker.

The improved device is mounted on a suitably-constructed base A,of wood or other nonconducting material, and on the said base is arranged a binding-post 13,111 which terminates one end of a line-wire O. The binding-post B is connected with a spring-plate D, adapted to make contact at itsfree end with a transversely-extending arm E, projecting from a lever E, fulcrumed at E on a bracket F, and pressed on by a spring E, as is plainly indicated in Fig. 1. The lever E is provided with a downwardly-extending arm E, having a foot-piece E adapted to engage a shoulder G, formed on the forward endof a lever G, provided at its fulcrum end with a block G pivoted at l on a bracket F, se-

the outside tube I.

cured to a bar II, attached to the base A. A spring G presses'on the under side of the block G to hold the lever G in a lowermost 'position that is, with its shoulder G in en gagement with the foot-piece E -to lock the lever E in place against the tension ofa spring E and at the time the arm E is in contact with the spring-plate D.

The block G is engaged above its fulcrum by the reduced end I of a tube I, forming part of an electric thermostat, the said tube being of the same metal as the bar H, so that both expand and contract uniformly according to the ordinary atmospheric temperature. The tube I is adapted to receive a rod 1*, of wood or other non-conducting material, and on this rod is coiled a wire I, insulated with cotton or silk, as usual, the insulating-covering being in contact-with the inner surface of the tube I, to heat the latter, as hereinafter more fully described. The main object of the rod I is to press the insulated wire I evenly against the inner surface of the tube I in its entire length, so that the heat will be better communicated to The rod I also prevents inward radiationand consequent loss of heat. The rod, furthermore, by affording a firm support for the coil of wire 1 (which is very fine and delicate wire,) facilitates the handling of the said coil and particularly its introduction into the tube I.

One end of the wire I is connected with a metallic cap I, held on the inner end of the rod I and engaged by a contact-spring 1 held on the tube I and extending through a recess thereof, as is plainly indicated in Fig. 3, the spring also engaging the block G The other end of the rod 1 is likewise provided with a metal cap I, connected with the other end of the wire I, and this metal cap is adapted to pass between two spring contact-plates J, connected with a binding-post K, connected with the line-wire 0, leading to a house or other building. I

The tube I is held fixed at its outer end, and for this purpose I attach on this end of the tube a head I engaged by a head L, formed on a screw-r0d L, screwing in a bracket N, secured to the bar II and locked in place by a lock-nut L which, when unscrewed, per

mits of screwing up the screw-rod L to properly abut the head L against the head I and hold this end of the tube against expansion toward the screw-rod L, but allow the rod to expand in the opposite direction and press on the block G to swing the lever G upward out of engagement with the foot-piece E By the arrangement described the tube I can be readily adjusted at its outer end, so as to give any desired pressure against the block G and render the apparatus as sensitive as possible.

Nowit will be seen that by the arrangement described the electric current passing through the line-wire C to the binding-post 13 passes from the latter by the plate D, levers E and G to the spring 1", the cap I, the wire I the cap I, the binding-plates J, and the bindingpost K to the wire 0, leading to the house or otherbuildin g. When a strong or excessivelycharged current passes through the wire 0 and the parts referred to, then the wire I becomes heated and heats the tube I, so that the same is expanded against the block G and in doing so presses the latter with sufiicient force to swing the lever G upward to disengage the shoulder G from the foot-piece If. The lever E is thus released and its spring E causes the said lever to swingupward out of contact by its arm E with the plate D, so that the circuit is broken, and consequently a strong or excessively-charged current cannot enter the line-wire 0, leading to the house.

It is understood that the wire 1" forms a re sistance-coil held in close contact with the tube I by the rod 1 to insure a heating of the said tube on application of an excessive charge.

The rod I with its wire I can be readily drawn out of the tube I and the hollow screwrod L for repairs or the insertion of a new one when the old one is burned out.

The binding-post 13 may be connected with a fuse-holder, such as shown and described in the application above referred to, to prevent both a highly-charged and a sneaking current from passing by the wire C to the building. It is understood that owing to the mounting of the tube I and the brackets F F on the bar II the ordinary changes in the atmospheric temperature will not change the position of the tube relatively to the circuitbreaker, and consequently the circuit is not broken by atmospheric heat in the said tube I.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. An electric cut-out provided with a circuit-breaker interposed in the line-wire, a thermostat comprising a tube fixed at one en d, a wire coil in the tube, a rod held in the said tube to press the coil against the said tube to heat the latter, and intermediate mechanism for connecting the tube with the said circuit-breaker, substantially as shown and described.

22. An electric cut-out provided with a circuit-breaker and an electric thermostat comprising a tube fixed at one end and connected at its other end with said circuit-breaker, a rodheldin the said tube, and a line-wire coiled on the said rod, and contacting with the said tube to heat the same, substantially as shown and described.

3. An electric cut-out provided with a circuit-breaker and an electric thermostat comprising a tube fixed at one end and connected atits other end with said circuit-breaker, a non-conducting rod held in the said tube, a line-wire coiled on the said rod, and contacting with the said tube to heat the same, and metallic caps on the end of the rod for making electric contact, the ends of the said wire terminating in the said caps, substantially as shown and described.

a. An electric cut-out provided with a circuit-breaker and an electric thermostat comprising a tube for connection at one end with said circuit-breaker, a head on the said tube, a hollow screw-rod engaging the said head, to cause the tube to expand in one direction only, and a rod carrying a wire and held in the said tube and screw-rod, substantially as shown and described.

5. An electric cut-out provided with a circuit-breaker and an electric thermostat having an expansion-tube, and connected at one end with said circuit-breaker, a bar for supporting the said thermostat and the circuitbreaker and of the same material as the said tube, to hold the latter in the same position under ordinary temperature and means for heating the expansion-tube independently of the supporting-bar, substantially as shown and described.

6. An electric cut-out provided with a tube, a non-conductin g rod held removably in the said tube, a wire coiled on the said rod, caps held in the ends of the said rod, spring contact-plates engaging the said caps, and a cireuit-breaker operated by the expansion of said tube, substantially as shown and described.

HARRY A. I,E\VIS.

Witnesses:

HENRY 1. Fox, W. )ICGEATHERY. 

